Fluid bearing system

Abstract

A fluid bearing system for journalling a rotatable shaft in which an annular housing is fixed about the shaft and is provided with an inlet for the supply of fluid under pressure. At least one bearing compression chamber is formed in the housing and/or the shaft and is distributed about the periphery of the shaft. The housing and the shaft form an integrated throttle control means in which a restrictor opening and a discharge opening is formed between the housing and the shaft for the flow through of fluid from the inlet. The openings are simultaneously varied relative to each other in an opposing manner as a function of the size and distribution of the load placed on the shaft.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fluid bearing for a shaft comprising an annular housing located about said shaft, said housing and said shaft defining at least one fluid compression pocket distributed about the periphery of said shaft, an inlet for the supply of fluid under pressure to said compression pocket and control means for regulating the flow of pressure to and form said pockets comprising an annular recess formed within said housing, an annular disk integral with said shaft and extending into said recess, said recess and said disk having conformingly longitudinally extending portions, the radially opposing surfaces of said longitudinal portions forming restrictor inlet openings, said housing having a radial surface opposing said shaft forming discharge openings, said restrictor inlet and discharge openings being simultaneously varied relative to each other in the opposite direction as a function of the size and distribution of the load thereon. 
     
     
       2. The bearing according to claim 1 wherein said recess and said disks are T-shaped in longitudinal cross section. 
     
     
       3. The bearing according to claim 1 wherein one of said housing and said shaft is formed with two spaced apart annular rows of compression pockets uniformly distributed over the periphery thereof. 
     
     
       4. The bearing according to claim 3, wherein said housing is provided with recesses at axial ends of said annular rows of compression pockets and two disks are provided extending respectively into said recesses at each end. 
     
     
       5. The bearing according to claim 1 wherein said disk is arranged between rows of compression pockets and said housing is formed with a recess receiving said disk. 
     
     
       6. The bearing according to claim 5 wherein said housing includes bridging members defining said pockets and separating the same, said bridging members having a surface lying in a common arc opposite said shaft. 
     
     
       7. The bearing according to claim 1 wherein each of said fluid compression pockets are formed by a plurality of spaced compression chambers uniformly distributed about the periphery of said housing.